The Little Guardian that Could
by Kalims
Summary: When all faith is gone for our guardian, a little optimism is needed.


**The Young Guardian That Could**

And they thought that after a life of danger, pain, wars and death, they would know the true meaning of being afraid. But now, hearts hammering, eyes twitching, sweat caressing heating skins- they discovered that they never did until this moment.

They didn't care at all that they were running aimlessly; their only goal was to escape the enemy. They would admit this out loud anytime. These four heroes, known for their legacy of many victorious battles, weren't ashamed of admitting they wouldn't even try to just think about facing the enemy, with the knowledge that they weren't powerless. This time, these young girls didn't care about the lessons that their lives had taught them; "never back away, fight till the end, always have faith" didn't cross their minds. Heck, they didn't even care about their pride, in that matter.

They reached a dead end. Frantically, they tired to find another way. Desperately they cried pleads. Fearfully they begged to be saved. Their hearts almost stopped dead in their chests when the breathing of the beast was heard by their ears. He was getting closer and closer.

Finally, the sound of his frightfully slow footsteps ended. His sickening smirk was noticeable in his dreadful, short chuckle. Two of the girls refused to turn around and face him, while the two others already had. After several fast successive gasps, they all screamed in union.

_Ahhhhhhh..._

The wind carried the sound of that cry with it. It echoed in a small, dark cave that formed the shelter of a lone redhead.

She opened her eyes then closed them, and that action was repeated about three times before she finally settled on closing them. Her only real reaction at the scream which she knew who were its owners so well, was simply to roll onto her side, careful not to hurt herself though she didn't avoid wincing in pain as she moved her broken bones and as her bloody wounds stretched.

Another, younger redhead appeared. She had been silent for a while now. The ignoring method the older redheaded used really worked on her, though now she knew she had to talk again. This time, she hoped she would convince the girl to fight. She hoped she would bring her back to her senses.

"Did you hear that?" She asked in a neutral voice.

Will, the girl laying on the ground, moaned softly. She was too weak to actually answer. She was in too much pain. Unfortunately she had to deal with an additional needle in the neck, which was the special ability she found out she had today.

"Then why aren't you doing anything?" This time, the girl's tone voiced her anger.

Apparently, and from what the girl explained, when Will's body gets too weak- when she suffers from physical, mental and physiological pain and problems, what's left of her undamaged and sound traits, feelings, thoughts leave her body and form a living being. In easier words, what's left of Will's self escapes her body so that the frustration in her wouldn't kill it leaving no chance to survive those problems Will is having.

Those emotions and thoughts had formed a thirteen-year-old version of Will, wearing a white shirt and pink shorts. The traits and features that escaped Will couldn't form anything with a stronger appearance, because they just weren't enough to do that. This aspect was all they could form. That being called herself Will's conscious. Her last source of self-support and encouragement. Nevertheless, the eighteen-year-old didn't show the slightest interest in listening to her conscious ranting about keep holding on.

She didn't want to hold on. She'd been through too much to think about holding on. Laying down on the cold ground, shrugging off all the pain she felt form her body- her weak body covered with injuries and bruises, that caused vague hurt against her many broken bones. But whenever she did succeed in ignoring her physical pain, she would end up facing another type of it. The pain that Will had been experiencing, failure after failure.

This new enemy didn't let her win a battle. He made her lose- always. He hurt and killed. She couldn't do anything, and he had reminded her of that everytime he got the opportunity to.

She and the girls came to destroy him, it was just another battle, and Will for the first time had very low faith in their victory. She had determination though; she had made up her mind that this was going to be the last battle they'd ever have against him. But everything went wrong when they had been trapped and Will was separated from the group, attacked, beaten, almost murdered before she was able to crawl away into the safety this small hole in this large rocky hill provided.

In the middle of the enormous pain she felt, Will was agonizing. She thought that she was going to die here soon, and then her body would rot in this place and never getting discovered- not that she minded actually. She'd been a problem for those who depended on her. And even if she manage to survive- she would end up failing in another thing bringing only more pain.

"Leave me alone, girl." Will whimpered after taking a deep breath. "I can't do anything, it hurts me to even speak. So please, go away."

"But Will you haven't even tried to stand up. You can do it, I know you can, but just don't give up." The young girl said in a more soothing tone. She really meant what she said. She didn't say it because she wanted to brag to herself that she was a part of this strong girl- she thought Will was strong not only because Conscious was a being of good judgments, but also because Concious had always been living inside of Will. She had watched her over the years. She knew through all the depression, frustration and agony Will felt, she still had a chance to overcome all.

But Will on the other hand felt no hope. All she was thinking about was how to cuddle herself for warmth without hurting herself even more. So she ignored the other Will once again, but not without making her point clear.

"You saw what I've been through? You were watching what happened to me earlier? The crap's been beating out of me. _You_'ve been beating out of me." Will remarked cleverly.

"But.."

"What is..." Will paused, finding it very hard to keep moving her lips. She let out the next words in a low voice. "The girls are going to be okay without me." Will coughed, maybe blood, maybe not. Either way she could feel her chest aching and her lungs on fire.

"Are you really going to leave them to die?" The question was just above a whisper.

"Death is the one thing I wish the most right now." Will answered, and then realized that she was honest.

Conscious kept staring silently at Will; she wasn't in her right mind, but that didn't mean that she didn't mean it. Conscious needed to reason her, but Will seemed to have giving up on all kinds of hope. Nevertheless, Conscious wasn't a quitter.

"You're stupid." Conscious childishly said, and Will didn't give her any attention. Her head was starting to hurt her painfully. She couldn't focus very much.

"Get up!" Conscious yelled.

"I can't!" Will shot back with an angry voice. She surprised both herself and the other Will by that. She didn't know she could raise her tone, but Conscious was irritating her, and she was tired of repeating that she failed. That statement was still tearing her apart.

"Well, I think you can."

"You're thinking wrong." Will muttered, now her eyes slightly opened.

"No, it's you who's thinking wrong." Conscious approached Will and knelt on her knees, pointing at her head. "You're not using this." She said while poking Will's head with her finger continuously.

Will blinked twice in surprise and confusion when she felt that finger touch her head. Even though her head was killing her, the pokes didn't hurt her, they were gentle. But Will was stunned that Conscious was actually doing that. How old was she again? Will couldn't remember herself being this childish at thirteen.

"Stop it." Will murmured. She didn't know if Conscious didn't hear her or just ignored her because the pokes kept hitting her head. "I said stop it." Again, it was like she didn't even talk. Will wondered if Conscious was a gift or a curse.

"You're hurting me. Stop that." Will succeeded in making her voice clear, which made Conscious smile even though Will couldn't see it.

"Make me." Her tone was provoking Will.

"I..." Will sighed, "I can't."

"Then you'll have to put up with me and my pokes." Another wave of pokes hit Will unstoppably.

"No.." Will groaned. "Stop it now!" Will's voice started to become commanding.

"You're not the boss of me." Conscious said while she sensed that Will's body was tensing up. Before she could react, Will's body shifted and the older redhead took a hold on Conscious poking finger and twisted it, getting a small yell of pain out of the poor girl.

"Yes I am." Will stated firmly. "I made you. You listen to me. When I say stop, you stop!" Will sounded dangerous enough. Her voice reminded Conscious so much of the real Will she had been in her soul before the accident.

Conscious freed her finger and got up taking few steps away from Will. She was looking at the laying girl with a smirk. "I don't have to. I'm stronger than you, you can do nothing to me."

"Watch what's you're saying, little girl." Will warned angrily. She clenched her teeth from the pain she felt while she tried to pull her body in a sitting position. But she didn't give in for that pain; she was completely goaded by Conscious.

"You were right all along. You're too weak to do anything! Why trying to convince you something ain't true? I give up. I'm going to have fun with you instead." Conscious's smirk turned into a proud grin when Will pointed her hand at Conscious and made a small bolt appear. "You call that a bolt?"

"No. I call that a distraction." Will said making Conscious stare at her in confusion. Conscious didn't know what Will was talking about, but she gasped when her gaze shifted towards Will's other hand, and to her surprise she found that another, much bigger bolt was formed. Before Conscious could react, Will hit her with the blast, sending her deeper into the cave until she hit its end about few meters away. Conscious rubbed her head with her hand and looked at Will before she stood up with a big smile. Her plan had worked. She knew that Will would never be a quitter, a loser, someone who just doesn't try.

"That's a bolt." Will said looking back at Conscious. First she wondered what was she smiling about, but then she understood what she was saying in her eyes. Tears formed in her eyes as Will came back to her real self. "But I c-can't... I'm too weak."

"That wasn't weakness." Conscious said approaching Will. "Not to me."

"I have broken ribs. I think my right shoulder is dislocated. I lost a lot of blood. I don't think I can even stand up." Will said in a defeated tone while her eyes couldn't fight back the tears anymore. They ran freely on her cheeks.

"Just try. I really think you can. I believe in you. Have faith in yourself." Conscious looked at Will straight in the eyes. "Do you believe you can?"

Will hesitated, but in her other self's eyes she could see her memories. Her friends reflected. Will remembered their scream. She remembered they were in a big trouble, they needed to be saved. They needed her.

"I think I can." Will whispered as an answer. Conscious smiled yet again and then she hugged Will before suddenly, she soaked in the older redhead's body. The feelings and the good thoughts Will had came back to her. Will was now more determined than ever.

"I think I can." Will said this louder as she leaned on the wall to try to stand up. "I think I can." She repeated after she fell on the ground but tried to stand up again, finally managing to, even after wincing in pain.

She had never been through as much pain. She was dizzy and she felt like she was going to throw up anytime soon. She had lost too much blood. But Will smiled; the girls needed her. She can.

She looked outside the cave she was hiding in, and with a sincere, strong, low whisper, Will said to herself. "I will."


End file.
